is that a good way to screw att and get free iphone?

[epifan]

OK ... I have been thinking about this for a while and here is my plan:

I currently have family plan with att ( out of contract already) and media net unlimited for fifteen soon to be worthless bucks. Instead of running to the att store and having an "extension" of my contract, I decided to do the following:

On Monday, I will send my pretty Russian wife to the local att store and make her start a brand new family plan with att for, say, five lines with five iphones.
My wife has a different address than mine, and different last name ( hello IRS). So, I get 5 iphones, then cancel all plans on the 31st day of the contract. That is going to cost me $1000 for phones $850 in early termination fees and about $300 for the first month of servive. Total of about $2150. I will unlock ( I hope ) them all, and sell three of them on ebay for, say, $700 ( or for $1200 in Moscow ). I will then have two FREE iphones with no contract that I can use on my oringinal family plan paying just $15/mo for unlimited data ( At@T does not know that I use Ihpne there ) . In addition I can get a couple of cool phones from At@T for extending my contract with them, and immediately sell them too. What do you think? In the past I bought dozens of iphones online and sold them all in Russia. Now, I stiil want to figure out the way how to screw the system. Is my idea any good?

[iTeen]

Screwing over AT&T = Bad idea

Have fun with that....

[michaelmaxwell2]

OK ... I have been thinking about this for a while and here is my plan:

I currently have family plan with att ( out of contract already) and media net unlimited for fifteen soon to be worthless bucks. Instead of running to the att store and having an "extension" of my contract, I decided to do the following:

On Monday, I will send my pretty Russian wife to the local att store and make her start a brand new family plan with att for, say, five lines with five iphones.
My wife has a different address than mine, and different last name ( hello IRS). So, I get 5 iphones, then cancel all plans on the 31st day of the contract. That is going to cost me $1000 for phones $850 in early termination fees and about $300 for the first month of servive. Total of about $2150. I will unlock ( I hope ) them all, and sell three of them on ebay for, say, $700 ( or for $1200 in Moscow ). I will then have two FREE iphones with no contract that I can use on my oringinal family plan paying just $15/mo for unlimited data ( At@T does not know that I use Ihpne there ) . In addition I can get a couple of cool phones from At@T for extending my contract with them, and immediately sell them too. What do you think? In the past I bought dozens of iphones online and sold them all in Russia. Now, I stiil want to figure out the way how to screw the system. Is my idea any good?
UGH! It's people like you that are creating waiting lists. If your not going to use the phone don't buy it at this time. It's bad enough apple created a shortage but you all are creating an even larger shortage.

[beccajk]

you might think its a grand idea to take advantage of the system and a big corporation like that, but in doing so, you're taking screwing over people who are honestly going to use their iphones and phone plans - not just to gain a profit.

[Badandy]

UGH! It's people like you that are creating waiting lists. If your not going to use the phone don't buy it at this time. It's bad enough apple created a shortage but you all are creating an even larger shortage.

Hooray socialism! Ohh...wait...

[epifan]

c'mon folks. att is screwing you more than that. They are selling you a gadget only with a two year contract. They demand that you buy a data plan that is going to cost you $360 US bucks. They charge you international roaming charges to the tune of five bucks a minute, and they lock your phone so that you can not use other sim card. Honestly .. I have no moral issue taking advantage of them.
Going back to my question though .... is there a hole in the plan?

[islandtitan]

OK ... I have been thinking about this for a while and here is my plan:

I currently have family plan with att ( out of contract already) and media net unlimited for fifteen soon to be worthless bucks. Instead of running to the att store and having an "extension" of my contract, I decided to do the following:

On Monday, I will send my pretty Russian wife to the local att store and make her start a brand new family plan with att for, say, five lines with five iphones.
My wife has a different address than mine, and different last name ( hello IRS). So, I get 5 iphones, then cancel all plans on the 31st day of the contract. That is going to cost me $1000 for phones $850 in early termination fees and about $300 for the first month of servive. Total of about $2150. I will unlock ( I hope ) them all, and sell three of them on ebay for, say, $700 ( or for $1200 in Moscow ). I will then have two FREE iphones with no contract that I can use on my oringinal family plan paying just $15/mo for unlimited data ( At@T does not know that I use Ihpne there ) . In addition I can get a couple of cool phones from At@T for extending my contract with them, and immediately sell them too. What do you think? In the past I bought dozens of iphones online and sold them all in Russia. Now, I stiil want to figure out the way how to screw the system. Is my idea any good?

think of how much you could accomplish if you put that time into thinking about doing something constructive.

[michaelmaxwell2]

c'mon folks. att is screwing you more than that. They are selling you a gadget only with a two year contract. They demand that you buy a data plan that is going to cost you $360 US bucks. They charge you international roaming charges to the tune of five bucks a minute, and they lock your phone so that you can not use other sim card. Honestly .. I have no moral issue taking advantage of them.
Going back to my question though .... is there a hole in the plan?

Well..... I have no problem paying for a phone thats only on one service that has good service. What good is a internet phone with no internet. And if you don't like what the us offers don't buy it. We like what they sell. And we pay for the s$%# you take, they have to make money some way and they will charge us more for defaulting on your account.

[beccajk]

c'mon folks. att is screwing you more than that. They are selling you a gadget only with a two year contract. They demand that you buy a data plan that is going to cost you $360 US bucks. They charge you international roaming charges to the tune of five bucks a minute, and they lock your phone so that you can not use other sim card. Honestly .. I have no moral issue taking advantage of them.
Going back to my question though .... is there a hole in the plan?

again, you're not only taking advantage of the big bad corporation, but smaller people, like us.
and im pretty sure what you just stated is the norm for most american cellphoen carriers. prices may differ from company to company, but i think it's basically all the same. At&t wouldnt have any customers if this wasnt the case. but its actually, i think, the biggest carrier in the US.

[wolfwill23]

Dude, I think that's a great idea. ****** AT&T. If I could screw em, I would. And for those of you who say it's because of people like him that makes AT&T screw us, well, they'd screw us ANYWAYS! Their ONLY responsibility is to make the shareholders as much money as possible. And that usually doesn't mean being nice to their customers. If you can pull one over on AT&T, more power to ya!

Just write back and let us know how it went.:)

[epifan]

jees ... I just met a smart guy here. My big hand shake to you Wlof Frankly, I started thinking that this forum is run by a church or what not. And for all of you worried about me "exploiting" you ... wash your eyes in the morning, look around, and recognize that "exploitation" and "taking advantage" of people, is what this system is build upon.

[michaelmaxwell2]

Dude, I think that's a great idea. ****** AT&T. If I could screw em, I would. And for those of you who say it's because of people like him that makes AT&T screw us, well, they'd screw us ANYWAYS! Their ONLY responsibility is to make the shareholders as much money as possible. And that usually doesn't mean being nice to their customers. If you can pull one over on AT&T, more power to ya!

Just write back and let us know how it went.:)

How the hell do they screw us over???? We agree to those terms and conditions. At&t never took a gun to anyone of you all heads and say buy my cellphone have it locked and get a 2 year contract.

[SFStateStudent]

I say NEEYET!!! Mods, please send this thread to Wasteland via Kiev...Thank you.

[epifan]

exactly ....my plan does NOT violate ANY terms and/or conditions. I am on solid legal ground with att.

[wolfwill23]

And don't think for a second that AT&T doesn't budget this type of thing into their business plan. And you know what, if all sudden everybody stopped taking advantage of the system when they could do you think AT&T would lower their prices? HELL NO!

And no, AT&T didn't hold a gun to our heads to make us choose them. But with cell phones now days, that's almost like saying, 'well, if you think the road is too bumpy, then don't drive!' We HAVE to drive. And for most of us, a cell phone is no longer an option.

These corporations are DESTROYING the world. You watch and see, it will one day be the haves (corporations and their minions) and the have nots (everybody else.) There will be no middle class. Only extreme wealth and extreme poverty - and it's because giant, satanic (ok, a bit extreme here) corporations like AT&T run the world by paying off (oh sorry, "lobbying") politicians.

Dude, again, if you can pull one over on the man, rock on! Let us know how it went!

[slapguts]

Just wait a couple weeks until apple and at&t start selling gem unsubsidized for the $599, buy as many possible, and then sell them to Russia.

Seems a lot simpler and cheaper, too.

[epifan]

I will tell you how it went. I was just curious if I am missing anything here. As far as corporations as concerned .... if you do not understand how they work then nobody can help you. You mom must have dropped you head down. I went to Italy the other day, and forgot to turn off my phone. It accidently checked my email once (!). It was $60 bill from att. Give me a break ... if there is a legal (!) way around the system ... then use it.

slapguts ... not cheaper. My plan yields you five iphones for $2100. That is about $420 a piece. Plus you get a month of free service with data.

[pranavss11]

Good luck to you sir. Let us know how it goes.

[bluenoise]

Ah yes, the "old corporations are evil" rant. It's sad to see so many people reach adulthood without a decent understanding of business and economics. For example, no where in that silly rant did you acknowlege that virtually all businesses exist to make money, even the mom and pop market on the corner. Those evil greedy bastards making a profit on us poor consumers. Mom and pop should be ashamed of themselves. Did it ever occur to you that companies usually don't get to be big players by consistently screwing their customers? Since we have a competitive marketplace, the smart companies know that they'll win market share by winning over the consumers. I've been very happy with AT&T for many years, largely because they're service is good for me and they know I can take my dollars elsewhere if they drop the ball.

The bottom line is that a company like AT&T cannot maximize profits solely by screwing the customer.

[themiracle]

I think the only problem with your plan is the five phones. I don't know what's actually happening, but I thought that ATT was limiting iPhones to one per SSN and that each line had to be present. Unless you can conjure up four Russian kids, you might be out of luck.

To the rest of you: I mean, he's paying the ETFs and jumping though all the hoops to make his buck. It's not like he's stealing the phones or anything. Give him a break.

The "screw ATT" bit is a bit much and a bit ignorant, though, epifan.

[pranavss11]

I think the only problem with your plan is the five phones. I don't know what's actually happening, but I thought that ATT was limiting iPhones to one per SSN and that each line had to be present. Unless you can conjure up four Russian kids, you might be out of luck.

To the rest of you: I mean, he's paying the ETFs and jumping though all the hoops to make his buck. It's not like he's stealing the phones or anything. Give him a break.

The "screw ATT" bit is a bit much and a bit ignorant, though, epifan.

He can get 5 lines on a Family Plan with same SSN. Might want to read his post again.

[epifan]

finally some sanity here. Thanks folks. I think it should work. To me it is a matter of sport ... and not augmenting my income .... lol . Basically fun stuff. For those of you who want to know how Russian are screwing Americans for real and getting away with that, you may want to read here ... http://wweek.com/editorial/3435/11212/

[themiracle]

He can get 5 lines on a Family Plan with same SSN. Might want to read his post again.

I read his post fine. I just wasn't sure that ATT would let him actually do what he's trying to do. I guess I've never heard of them taking down SSNs for each line of a family plan(and it would be highly unnecessary), but I thought there was talk of there being some check to keep people from doing this, like, at the very least, having a person there to represent each line? Maybe it was only for existing contracts, though.

Again, he can try whatever he wants, but it would be interesting to see what happens.

[illutionz]

OK ... I have been thinking about this for a while and here is my plan:

I currently have family plan with att ( out of contract already) and media net unlimited for fifteen soon to be worthless bucks. Instead of running to the att store and having an "extension" of my contract, I decided to do the following:

On Monday, I will send my pretty Russian wife to the local att store and make her start a brand new family plan with att for, say, five lines with five iphones.
My wife has a different address than mine, and different last name ( hello IRS). So, I get 5 iphones, then cancel all plans on the 31st day of the contract. That is going to cost me $1000 for phones $850 in early termination fees and about $300 for the first month of servive. Total of about $2150. I will unlock ( I hope ) them all, and sell three of them on ebay for, say, $700 ( or for $1200 in Moscow ). I will then have two FREE iphones with no contract that I can use on my oringinal family plan paying just $15/mo for unlimited data ( At@T does not know that I use Ihpne there ) . In addition I can get a couple of cool phones from At@T for extending my contract with them, and immediately sell them too. What do you think? In the past I bought dozens of iphones online and sold them all in Russia. Now, I stiil want to figure out the way how to screw the system. Is my idea any good?


Did the same calculation @ Howard Forums to "help" a guy who tried to do the same thing as you but he miscalculated his cost and he even screwed his friend over by lying to her how much it cost for her to cancel everything. :o

Cost:
5 x 8GB (assuming you buy it at $199) = $995
5 x 36 (activation fees) = $180 or 5 x 18 if you're upgrading = $90
1 x 129 (1 family plans cheapest one) = $129
4 x 40 (additional of 4 lines) = $160
5 x 175 (ETFs) = $875

Benefit:
3 x $1000 ( I took an average if you sold it in Moscow or on eBay) = $3000

Calculation:
Benefits - Cost
$3000 - $2249 (I'm using $90 activation fees for upgrading) - $150 Paypal and ebay fees = $601 after paypal and ebay fees

or $751 without paypal and ebay fees (gotta sold it in Moscow which means you have to ship it there or have your wifey fly to Moscow which cost you some more)

Yes you can in a way make $600+ like this but it's not a good business IMHO... you'd better off selling 10 x Nintendo Wii @ $100 profit each (been doing this for a while) and did not have to deal with AT&T...

Remember, everything must be calculated in detail or you will lose :D

[epifan]

i surely forgot the activation fees. The rest is pretty much what I calculated. My point is NOT to make ANY profit but rather have a mechanism of obtaining two absolutely FREE iphones 3g with no connection to any contract and/or phone line. If in the end, I end up with $700 profit plus probably another $700 from selling phones that att will give me to extend my real contract with them ... then it toward a nice ring for my wife ( also free ... lol). As I said ... that is not how I pay bills ... that is fun part of life ... just another sport.

[pranavss11]

i surely forgot the activation fees. The rest is pretty much what I calculated. My point is NOT to make ANY profit but rather have a mechanism of obtaining two absolutely FREE iphones 3g with no connection to any contract and/or phone line. If in the end, I end up with $700 profit plus probably another $700 from selling phones that att will give me to extend my real contract with them ... then it toward a nice ring for my wife ( also free ... lol). As I said ... that is not how I pay bills ... that is fun part of life ... just another sport.

Ask them to waive your activation fees since you are buying 5 o.o

[illutionz]

i surely forgot the activation fees. The rest is pretty much what I calculated. My point is NOT to make ANY profit but rather have a mechanism of obtaining two absolutely FREE iphones 3g with no connection to any contract and/or phone line. If in the end, I end up with $700 profit plus probably another $700 from selling phones that att will give me to extend my real contract with them ... then it toward a nice ring for my wife ( also free ... lol). As I said ... that is not how I pay bills ... that is fun part of life ... just another sport.

Well, if that's your intention then good for you... I guess go ahead... but may I ask where the 2nd $700 come from?? I am not aware of any phone in AT&T that you can sell for that much (because they're all suck) :eek:

Oh yeah also, the 3G unlock is not out yet as of the moment... the new PwnageTool 2.0 is only able to unlock the iPhone 2G with 2.0 firmwar... just so let you know

Have fun!!

[epifan]

I was thinking about Lg Vu. I have three lines, so I can get them for $200 each and sell for $430 ( ebay price) ... Here come $700 give or take. But, again, if I break even then I am happy. As far as unlocking is concerned ... there is nothing that Russians can not crack ... just my belief.

[illutionz]

I was thinking about Lg Vu. I have three lines, so I can get them for $200 each and sell for $430 ( ebay price) ... Here come $700 give or take. But, again, if I break even then I am happy. As far as unlocking is concerned ... there is nothing that Russians can not crack ... just my belief.

well the iphone 3g unlock surely coming soon jut like the original one ;)

[marksman]

exactly ....my plan does NOT violate ANY terms and/or conditions. I am on solid legal ground with att.

Using your two iPhones with medianet is a clear violation of your agreement with them.

Go ahead and try it.

Personally I hope you get screwed.

If you spent as much time and energy trying to make money as you do trying to "Steal" it, you might be better off.

[ttech10]

And no, AT&T didn't hold a gun to our heads to make us choose them. But with cell phones now days, that's almost like saying, 'well, if you think the road is too bumpy, then don't drive!' We HAVE to drive. And for most of us, a cell phone is no longer an option.

So, just because cell phones are popular that means we NEED them? You can still get by without cell phones, I know quite a few people that do. It's a luxury, not a NEED. Also, we're talking about the iPhone when he says 'screwing us over'. IF somebody NEED a cell phone they WOULD NOT NEED an iPhone... ANY cell phone would do. Or at least one without the restrictions of an iPhone.

So before you start saying we're getting screwed over because the iPhone has these restrictions please think for a second about how cheap and easy it is to get just a regular cell phone and plan. VERY EASY AND VERY CHEAP. We're NOT screwed over because we're NOT being FORCED into buying an iPhone. It is like the Mercedes of cell phones. You don't NEED one to get by but it's something that you'd love to have and afford. If you think you're being screwed then DON'T BUY THE iPhone!

Nobody is forcing you to buy it. Go with the cheap free phone if you're going to whine and complain about something you're being 'forced' into even though it's YOUR CHOICE to get the iPhone.



To the OP. You're not screwing over AT&T and you know it. You JUST care about the money. If you really want to screw over AT&T you would buy all those iPhone's and then you would go to your local AT&T store and sell them for cheaper than what they are selling them. You're not doing that, though. You specifically said you were going to sell them for anywhere between $500 to $900 more than they're actually worth. Don't try to make yourself out to be a hero and 'sticking it to AT&T'. What you're really doing is just taking iPhone's off the market at a fair price for people wanting them and marking them up large amounts. They are not 'taking advantage of us' more than you like you claim. YOU are taking advantage of people more by forcing them to pay more (the ones that buy your iPhone from eBay) than they would pay AT&T.

I'm not saying that I wouldn't sell iPhones at a profit... but just don't try to lie to us saying that what you're doing is a good thing and praise worthy.

[dave006]

Did the same calculation @ Howard Forums to "help" a guy who tried to do the same thing as you but he miscalculated his cost and he even screwed his friend over by lying to her how much it cost for her to cancel everything. :o

Cost:
5 x 8GB (assuming you buy it at $199) = $995
5 x 36 (activation fees) = $180 or 5 x 18 if you're upgrading = $90
1 x 129 (1 family plans cheapest one) = $129
4 x 40 (additional of 4 lines) = $160
5 x 175 (ETFs) = $875

Benefit:
3 x $1000 ( I took an average if you sold it in Moscow or on eBay) = $3000

Calculation:
Benefits - Cost
$3000 - $2249 (I'm using $90 activation fees for upgrading) - $150 Paypal and ebay fees = $601 after paypal and ebay fees

or $751 without paypal and ebay fees (gotta sold it in Moscow which means you have to ship it there or have your wifey fly to Moscow which cost you some more)

Yes you can in a way make $600+ like this but it's not a good business IMHO... you'd better off selling 10 x Nintendo Wii @ $100 profit each (been doing this for a while) and did not have to deal with AT&T...

Remember, everything must be calculated in detail or you will lose :D
Sorry, there a couple of errors in your cost numbers:

Cost:
5 x 8GB (assuming you buy it at $199) = $995
1 x 36 (activation fees) = $36
4 x 26 (secondary line activation fee) = $104
1 x 119 (1 family plan includes 2 lines, cheapest one, 550 minutes) = $119
2 x 40 (additional of 2 lines) = $80
5 x 175 (ETFs) = $875

Initial expense: $2209 + Taxes + Fees (New FamilyTalk Plan Activation)
Add $10 for FamilyTalk 700 plan if required
Add prorated service + Taxes + Fees to reach next billing cycle < $199

Total: Not a good deal :apple::eek:

Note: FamilyTalk 550 not available in all areas

[chakraj]

I dont think you are screwing anyone. You are paying all of there fees. they are the ones who set the fees to make sure they did not loose money so you are just being creative. however there are probably easier ways to earn your money.

[lakaiordie]

lmao, not gonna work.

[freediverdude]

The only problem I see is that ATT will probably be able to detect that two of the phones on the medianet are iphones. If you can get away with it after jumping through all those hoops then I say you've earned it, go for it. You only live once, take a few chances and see if it works.

[jessica.]

I love how epifan qualifies "smart" people around here as the people who agree with him. Those who do not are clearly stupid. :rolleyes: So from a stupid person I would tend to agree with most around here that regardless of how you're screwing over AT&T, it seems like a lot of work to do whatever you're doing just to get two free phones.

No matter what anyone says here I'm sure you're going to do it. Whether your moral compass is broken or you just enjoy ****ing people over for sport is irrelevant. If there is a hole in your plan you're surely going to find out once it has been implemented. You will find that by coming here and posting about it whether for advice or to brag not everyone will be a fan of your plan. I'm indifferent because I don't know you, care to know you, or believe you'd affect my bottom line ever.

I hope you and your mail order bride enjoy your two free iPhones. ;)

[NeoMayhem]

Sorry, there a couple of errors in your cost numbers:

Cost:
5 x 8GB (assuming you buy it at $199) = $995
1 x 36 (activation fees) = $36
4 x 26 (secondary line activation fee) = $104
1 x 119 (1 family plan includes 2 lines, cheapest one, 550 minutes) = $119
2 x 40 (additional of 2 lines) = $80
5 x 175 (ETFs) = $875

Initial expense: $2209 + Taxes + Fees (New FamilyTalk Plan Activation)
Add $10 for FamilyTalk 700 plan if required
Add prorated service + Taxes + Fees to reach next billing cycle < $199

Total: Not a good deal :apple::eek:

Note: FamilyTalk 550 not available in all areas

FamilyTalk 550 also has a limit of 3 lines (1 primary + 2 secondary). So for 5 phones you will need a more expensive plan.

[mciarlo]

jees ... I just met a smart guy here. My big hand shake to you Wlof Frankly, I started thinking that this forum is run by a church or what not. And for all of you worried about me "exploiting" you ... wash your eyes in the morning, look around, and recognize that "exploitation" and "taking advantage" of people, is what this system is build upon.

That doesn't make it right. All you're doing is setting a precedent for more of it.

[harodude]

Using your two iPhones with medianet is a clear violation of your agreement with them.

Go ahead and try it.

Personally I hope you get screwed.

If you spent as much time and energy trying to make money as you do trying to "Steal" it, you might be better off.

well, if I may add...
I called AT&T CS a few days ago and the agent recommended another alternative to plans, and different phones

He recommended in particular, that I purchase an iPhone from ebay, start my own plan With just the medianet unltd!
there seemed to be nothing wrong with medianet usage on the iPhone

[wronski]

If you're going to rip off AT&T here's a better way to do it that will yield you even more profit than you thought was possible:

Steal all the phones.

[Babiipiink]

OK ... I have been thinking about this for a while and here is my plan:

I currently have family plan with att ( out of contract already) and media net unlimited for fifteen soon to be worthless bucks. Instead of running to the att store and having an "extension" of my contract, I decided to do the following:

On Monday, I will send my pretty Russian wife to the local att store and make her start a brand new family plan with att for, say, five lines with five iphones.
My wife has a different address than mine, and different last name ( hello IRS). So, I get 5 iphones, then cancel all plans on the 31st day of the contract. That is going to cost me $1000 for phones $850 in early termination fees and about $300 for the first month of servive. Total of about $2150. I will unlock ( I hope ) them all, and sell three of them on ebay for, say, $700 ( or for $1200 in Moscow ). I will then have two FREE iphones with no contract that I can use on my oringinal family plan paying just $15/mo for unlimited data ( At@T does not know that I use Ihpne there ) . In addition I can get a couple of cool phones from At@T for extending my contract with them, and immediately sell them too. What do you think? In the past I bought dozens of iphones online and sold them all in Russia. Now, I stiil want to figure out the way how to screw the system. Is my idea any good?



I think its a great idea! God luck!

[MathiasMag]

4 x 40 (additional of 4 lines) = $160

Not that it matters much for the end result, but I think this would be 3x40 as the family plan includes an extra line. Does it not?

[nickspohn]

I hope AT&T screws your ass over.

[thecypher]

OK ... I have been thinking about this for a while and here is my plan:

I currently have family plan with att ( out of contract already) and media net unlimited for fifteen soon to be worthless bucks. Instead of running to the att store and having an "extension" of my contract, I decided to do the following:

On Monday, I will send my pretty Russian wife to the local att store and make her start a brand new family plan with att for, say, five lines with five iphones.
My wife has a different address than mine, and different last name ( hello IRS). So, I get 5 iphones, then cancel all plans on the 31st day of the contract. That is going to cost me $1000 for phones $850 in early termination fees and about $300 for the first month of servive. Total of about $2150. I will unlock ( I hope ) them all, and sell three of them on ebay for, say, $700 ( or for $1200 in Moscow ). I will then have two FREE iphones with no contract that I can use on my oringinal family plan paying just $15/mo for unlimited data ( At@T does not know that I use Ihpne there ) . In addition I can get a couple of cool phones from At@T for extending my contract with them, and immediately sell them too. What do you think? In the past I bought dozens of iphones online and sold them all in Russia. Now, I stiil want to figure out the way how to screw the system. Is my idea any good?

Not as simple as you think my friend. AT&T will change your plan from the current $15 to the $30 plan as soon as you activate the new iPhone. Your old sim cards will not just work as soon as you pop them into your new iPhone. You have to hook it up to iTunes and activate it (by picking the already a customer option) and as soon as you do that your plan gets bumped up. There is no way to use your old MediaNet plan on an iPhone 3G or 1st Gen iPhone.

[prelag]

If you are going to go through all that trouble why not just throw on a ski mask and rob the store? Or you could rob the UPS truck.

Hey, 5 years in prison is worth it man!

[PowerFullMac]

Dude, I think that's a great idea. ****** AT&T. If I could screw em, I would. And for those of you who say it's because of people like him that makes AT&T screw us, well, they'd screw us ANYWAYS! Their ONLY responsibility is to make the shareholders as much money as possible. And that usually doesn't mean being nice to their customers. If you can pull one over on AT&T, more power to ya!

Just write back and let us know how it went.:)

Yeah!

You have a great idea there!

Dont worry about activation, the jailbreak will take care of it.

[thecypher]

well, if I may add...
I called AT&T CS a few days ago and the agent recommended another alternative to plans, and different phones

He recommended in particular, that I purchase an iPhone from ebay, start my own plan With just the medianet unltd!
there seemed to be nothing wrong with medianet usage on the iPhone

You cannot use MediaNet on the iPhone. Your SIM card will not work until you go through an activation process during which you will be asked to pick an iPhone data plan. I accidentally found this out because I wanted to use my wife's iPhone and I had a regular Nokia 3G phone at the time and the SIM card did not work until I went through the activation process and picked the $20 iPhone (Now it is $30 for the iPhone 3G) data plan, even though I already had the MediaNet Unlimited plan on my Nokia phone already. Once you go through that activation process if you take the SIM and put it back into your regular phone (Nokia 3G phone in my case) Internet access does not work. Internet access for that SIM only works in an iPhone from that point on.

[thecypher]

BTW, it is a nice excuse people give themselves that it is okay to steal from a large corporation. Stealing or doing unethical things is exactly that, whether you steal from a large corporation or the guy across the street who is struggling to make ends meet. Don't try to convince yourself otherwise. That said it is your life and you can do whatever you want with it. Its a free country!

[benmrii]

c'mon folks. att is screwing you more than that. They are selling you a gadget only with a two year contract. They demand that you buy a data plan that is going to cost you $360 US bucks. They charge you international roaming charges to the tune of five bucks a minute, and they lock your phone so that you can not use other sim card. Honestly .. I have no moral issue taking advantage of them.
Going back to my question though .... is there a hole in the plan?

If you don't like or can't afford how much it costs don't buy it. Neither AT&T or Apple are forcing you to buy anything.

[mkoesel]

You cannot use MediaNet on the iPhone. Your SIM card will not work until you go through an activation process during which you will be asked to pick an iPhone data plan. I accidentally found this out because I wanted to use my wife's iPhone and I had a regular Nokia 3G phone at the time and the SIM card did not work until I went through the activation process and picked the $20 iPhone (Now it is $30 for the iPhone 3G) data plan, even though I already had the MediaNet Unlimited plan on my Nokia phone already. Once you go through that activation process if you take the SIM and put it back into your regular phone (Nokia 3G phone in my case) Internet access does not work. Internet access for that SIM only works in an iPhone from that point on.

But that was the old iPhone correct? The new iPhone will get data and voice service with a SIM from a non-iPhone AT&T phone. I know this because I have tried, and others here have tried it successfully as well.

[mkoesel]

So, I get 5 iphones, then cancel all plans on the 31st day of the contract.

Is it confirmed that you can cancel the plan after a month with no penalty other than the ETF fee of $175? I know that this has been supposed here often, but I have not seen it in writing. Though, perhaps I just need to read the contract from AT&T (I think it is being mailed to me so I don't have it yet).

[Aiphanes]

Did the same calculation @ Howard Forums to "help" a guy who tried to do the same thing as you but he miscalculated his cost and he even screwed his friend over by lying to her how much it cost for her to cancel everything. :o

Cost:
5 x 8GB (assuming you buy it at $199) = $995
5 x 36 (activation fees) = $180 or 5 x 18 if you're upgrading = $90
1 x 129 (1 family plans cheapest one) = $129
4 x 40 (additional of 4 lines) = $160
5 x 175 (ETFs) = $875

Benefit:
3 x $1000 ( I took an average if you sold it in Moscow or on eBay) = $3000

Calculation:
Benefits - Cost
$3000 - $2249 (I'm using $90 activation fees for upgrading) - $150 Paypal and ebay fees = $601 after paypal and ebay fees

or $751 without paypal and ebay fees (gotta sold it in Moscow which means you have to ship it there or have your wifey fly to Moscow which cost you some more)

Yes you can in a way make $600+ like this but it's not a good business IMHO... you'd better off selling 10 x Nintendo Wii @ $100 profit each (been doing this for a while) and did not have to deal with AT&T...

Remember, everything must be calculated in detail or you will lose :D

You calculations seems right....but he can still do it...he might get more money for them in Moscow. I think I am gonna start sellling wiis...

[ceiph]

the calculations are wrong, he wouldnt get the lower upgrade fee, and u forgot the iphone plan to add data on each phone for the first month, 30, 30, 30 so plus the other 90. thats 180 off your profit. now really this is the dumbest idea ever the op says its just for sport. i think hes being cheap.

he plans to upgrade his phone anyways. that locks him into att for 2 years, the iphone data can be canceled and if u goto att.com u could add the $15 media net if u wanted.

the end result is 200 for the phone and still risking being caught using media net. because hes cheap. not for sport.

[zeasar]

Reading most of the posts in the first page confirms the saying which goes:

The internet: where all men are women, all women are men, and the kids are the FBIs.

[epifan]

Folks,
thanks all of you who provided meaningful replies. I feel sorry for those of you who do not think that it is a good idea to take advantage ( fully legally ) of a large corporation. That means that you do not understand how the system works. Corporations are created for exactly that same reason: to make profits by taking advantage of people. Why do you think att has an exclusive ( read "monopoly" ) contract with apple? It is because that way they do not have to compete with tmobile, and they can sell phones and plans for more money. Who wins? att. Who loses? consumers. Why do you think att charges $5/minute for international roaming? That is because they can. When you are abroad, and need to call home, you do not have many options. Why do not take advantage of you? How can they prevent you from having options? Right ... by locking your phone. Corporations screw consumers at the pump, in the airwaves, in a hospital.... everywhere. So, if they do that every day, and all over the place, why can not we do the same thing, staying within the rules of the game, of course? I do not consider myself the smartest creature on the face of earth ( although I have Ph.D from one of top three us schools and a dream job ), but I am amazed how many people are out there who are just plain naive about this world.

Back to the numbers though ... thanks again for replies with substance. I did recalculations using your suggestions, and came up with the following:

The cheapest five-line eligible family plan ( 700 ) $70 ( first two lines) +$30 ( three lines)= $100 / month
The data plan for all five phones for one month $150/mo ( $30*5)
The activation fees $36+$26*3=$114
The phones = $995
The Early Termination Fee = $170*5 = $850

Total $2209. OK ... I was off by less than a $100. It seem that it should work.

Finally, thanks a lot for clarification on medianet unlimited. It is great that it will work will iphone 3g. Do I have to unlock the phone for that? Or I can just stick my medianed subscribed sim into an activated iphone, and off I go? Anyway ... it is a great forum.

[tsice19]

Reading most of the posts in the first page confirms the saying which goes:

The internet: where all men are women, all women are men, and the kids are the FBIs.

Best quote all day.

[thor79]

c'mon folks. att is screwing you more than that. They are selling you a gadget only with a two year contract. They demand that you buy a data plan that is going to cost you $360 US bucks. They charge you international roaming charges to the tune of five bucks a minute, and they lock your phone so that you can not use other sim card. Honestly .. I have no moral issue taking advantage of them.
Going back to my question though .... is there a hole in the plan?

I would be staying with AT&T for 2 more years anyway..I have no reason to switch.
My monthly bill will not increase at all since I dropped text messages at about the same time I got my iphone.
I'm not planning on leaving the country any time soon.
My service is fine...why would I want to use another sim.

Screwing me? No...I got a new phone and I'm paying exactly what I paid for before.


All your type of plans ends up doing is forcing the companies to clamp down harder. Why did Apple try to require activations in store this time around? Because lots of people jumped ship last time.

[zorahk]

Considering how popular the iPhone is in Russia......

Go for it.

[dl13]

correct me if i'm wrong, but don't you have to return the phones before you cancel? if i had to guess, they won't cancel your service until they have in their possession your phones. it's a great idea to try to profit off of this, but it's really not worth the time and effort

[FarSeide]

Folks,
thanks all of you who provided meaningful replies. I feel sorry for those of you who do not think that it is a good idea to take advantage ( fully legally ) of a large corporation. That means that you do not understand how the system works. Corporations are created for exactly that same reason: to make profits by taking advantage of people. Why do you think att has an exclusive ( read "monopoly" ) contract with apple? It is because that way they do not have to compete with tmobile, and they can sell phones and plans for more money. Who wins? att. Who loses? consumers. Why do you think att charges $5/minute for international roaming? That is because they can. When you are abroad, and need to call home, you do not have many options. Why do not take advantage of you? How can they prevent you from having options? Right ... by locking your phone. Corporations screw consumers at the pump, in the airwaves, in a hospital.... everywhere. So, if they do that every day, and all over the place, why can not we do the same thing, staying within the rules of the game, of course? I do not consider myself the smartest creature on the face of earth ( although I have Ph.D from one of top three us schools and a dream job ), but I am amazed how many people are out there who are just plain naive about this world.


I truly hate people like you... you ruin **** for all others and always try to exploit the situation. Please be sure to teach your kids the same knowledge you have.

Your already screwing the IRS and wish to do the same to AT&T.

[jrbdmb]

Folks,
thanks all of you who provided meaningful replies. I feel sorry for those of you who do not think that it is a good idea to take advantage ( fully legally ) of a large corporation. That means that you do not understand how the system works. Corporations are created for exactly that same reason: to make profits by taking advantage of people. Why do you think att has an exclusive ( read "monopoly" ) contract with apple? It is because that way they do not have to compete with tmobile, and they can sell phones and plans for more money. Who wins? att. Who loses? consumers. Why do you think att charges $5/minute for international roaming? That is because they can. When you are abroad, and need to call home, you do not have many options. Why do not take advantage of you? How can they prevent you from having options? Right ... by locking your phone. Corporations screw consumers at the pump, in the airwaves, in a hospital.... everywhere. So, if they do that every day, and all over the place, why can not we do the same thing, staying within the rules of the game, of course? I do not consider myself the smartest creature on the face of earth ( although I have Ph.D from one of top three us schools and a dream job ), but I am amazed how many people are out there who are just plain naive about this world.


The bad part is that someday some people like you will be running these large corporations, and God help the rest of us when you soulless, mercenary, morally bankrupt individuals get in that position. :(

[michaelmaxwell2]

I truly hate people like you... you ruin **** for all others and always try to exploit the situation. Please be sure to teach your kids the same knowledge you have.

Your already screwing the IRS and wish to do the same to AT&T.

:D karma is a b*$&#. Watch when he goes to the at&t store and they have to put down a $750.00 deposit per a line. Most likely his Russian mail-order bride don't have credit.

[Sobe]

If you cared about customers getting screwed, you would simply not buy the product.

If you were intellectually honest, instead of trying to game the system, you'd go start up your own telecom with your Ph.D. and show the world how to make a better company. Let's see you hire the engineers, lay the cables, build the towers, run the business, then come on back and tell us how we're getting screwed.

Instead, you'd rather try to manipulate the system so you feel that you're smarter and better and not taken advantage of.

Well, what will happen is that while trying to manipulate a product that people don't need and willingly choose to purchase, your actions get filed under "the cost of doing business" for these companies.

Sort of like people who buy clothes, wear them, and return them, or other legal but morally dubious actions, companies just deal with it and pass the cost onto the consumers.

So, thanks for making my bill $0.01 higher because of your actions. I hope you enjoy your phones.

[Ice Berg]

go ahead and do it. Do what's best for yourself!! Because they are doing what's best for them the corporation which makes billions a year off of people like us. So if it works then I will be glad 4u!!

[SIUGRAD99]

I love it when people come here to brag about how they are going to "screw the system" Are you really surprised that it would upset people that you brag about this? Also just curious what your "pretty russian" wife has to do with signing up for a family plan? Do they not allow ugly russian women the same opportunity?

Give me a break buddy. Here's hoping your iphone falls in the toliet.

[psingh01]

I think it is a good plan but it all depends on how pretty your russian wife is. So please post pics :p